I Hate You!
by electric element
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke owns a very successful advertising firm. But then, again, Haruno Sakura owns one, too! And that's what makes them eternal rivals! Is it hate or love that links them together? Who knows! FULL SUMMARY INSIDE! AU!
1. Preparing for Battle!

Hey guys! This is a new story I came up with. I hope I will cope making it a multi-chaptered one! :)

Summary: Uchiha Sasuke owns a very successful and trustworhty advertisement firm. But then, again, Haruno Sakura owns one, too! And that's what makes them eternal rivals! What can happen when the two of them confront each other trying to dominate the advertising business? A lot! But is their hate for each other business directed only or is there more to it? Who knows? The line between hate and love is very thin after all!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Never have, never will.

Please drop a review after you read this! I haven't gotten any reviews on my two last stories and I'm really sad! :( *sniff sniff* I really want to kow what you think of my writing! Your comments are always so helpful and welcome!

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**1. Preparing for battle!**

The immense building shed its shadow down the busy boulevard. It had at least forty floors. On the top of it there was a huge black and blue sign that said "Uchiha Advertising". The sign seemed to catch everyone's attention. The people who passed by the boulevard raised their eyes and looked at it with admiration and awe at the same time. You could hear them whisper words like "Uchiha", "rich", "power".

He sat comfortably in his leather chair and gazed outside the large window. The sky was clear and the street busy as always. It was nine in the morning and he hadn't drunk coffee yet. Where was his damn coffee? Did it have bones in it or something? He had told Sai to always have his coffee on his bureau. "Maybe I have asked a lot from him." he thought mockingly.

Uchiha Sasuke wasn't one of those people who had unlimited patience. He wanted everything done right after he had demanded it. And he wanted it done his way. This was why his advertising firm was one of the most successful in Konoha, after all.

After a couple of minutes, he heard a light knock on his office's door.

"Come in." he said tiredly.

The door opened. A young man around the age of 27 walked in, his face expressionless. He had dark short hair and ebony eyes. His skin was pale like paper, like the sun had never seen it.

"I apologize for being late, Uchiha-san." he said calmly.

Sasuke glared at him. He hated being made to wait. "Next time, you're fired."

"Yes, Uchiha-san." The man said, his face still expressionless, bowing a little.

"Now, tell me what the schedule has in store for today." Sasuke commanded sternly.

"Right away, Uchiha-san! You have an appointment with Uzumaki-kun at ten. At noon you have an appointment with Ichiraku-kun for his advertisement on his new product. You'll meet at his company. And afterward, there are some contracts that need to be signed. At 17:00, you have your last appointment with Karin-san."

Sasuke smirked inwardly. It would be a rather easy day, except for his last meeting with Karin. That woman annoyed him to no end.

"Hn. You may go." he commanded and Sai exited the room immediately.

Sasuke looked at his watch. It was 9:30. In half an hour he would have the dobe, shouting and bugging him, in his office. He sighed desperately at the thought.

It was really strange how the two of them had become friends. Naruto was the exact opposite from him. He always smiled and laughed. And he talked too much. His reactions were always over the top. Sasuke was nothing like him. He would never smile, let alone laugh! He hated talking and he always looked cool and laid-back. They were like day and night.

However, Sasuke would admit that Naruto was his best friend, the one he trusted the most. Since they had met, back in high-school, Naruto had always been there for him. They were brothers, even though they weren't related by blood.

After going through some important papers, Sasuke tilted his head up and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was t-

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The door was almost torn to pieces. Sasuke glared at it.

"Who-is-it?" he hissed.

The door opened violently and a hyperactive tall man walked in shouting "TEME!"

Sasuke continued glaring. Naruto...

Uzumaki Naruto was one of the most determined and optimistic people someone would ever meet. He had a tall and muscular body. He had a baby-face, blonde spiky hair and sparkling blue eyes like the sea. His straight nose and innocent smile made him look like a teenager even though he was 27 years old. When he was 22, graduating from university, a model agent had discovered him and since then, Naruto had been having a marveled career as a model, having walked thousands meters of international catwalks and having been the main model in hundreds of fashion campaigns. At the moment he was the main male model for Sasuke's advertising firm. He liked working with his best pal.

"Teme!" Naruto shouted once again. "Why are you glaring at me?"

"Will you stop calling me 'teme' in my office?" Sasuke demanded angrily.

"Relax, Sasuke! Everybody knows I always call you like that. And everybody knows that you are one anyway." The blonde man smiled at his last comment.

Sasuke didn't say anything about Naruto's comments and just showed him to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Sit" he ordered "we have business to talk about."

"Yes, sir!" Naruto teased him. "So, what is this all about?" he asked, curious to know.

"Ichiraku-kun, you know, the owner of the 'Ichiraku Ramen' company, wants to do an advertising for his new product and he needs one male model for it. Of course, our firm is one of the firms who were proposed for this project. Ours and...." Sasuke paused, apparently getting frustrated.

"And...?" Naruto asked. His friend seemed angry for some reason.

Sasuke glared at his desk for some minutes, trying to control his anger.

"Ours and... and Haruno's!!!" he almost yelled.

His best friend looked at him startled at first. Then, when the first shock passed, he burst out laughing.

Sasuke lifted his eyes from his desk to the blonde man. Why was the dobe laughing now? Had he said something funny?

"Why-are-you-laughing-baka?"

"You know, Sasuke, it's normal not to like someone because they're as good as you in the business, but your reaction towards Haruno-san is...is something else!" Naruto replied smiling cunningly.

"Hn. What do you mean dobe?"

"Don't play nonchalant to me, teme! You probably like her! Actually, I'm sure you do! You can't hide from me Uchiha!" Naruto shouted triumphantly, proud that he found out about his pal's romantic interest.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the dobe's words. Then, he smirked mockingly.

"You're crazy." He retorted.

"Come on, Sasuke! Admit it! You like her!"

"I don't!"

"Yes, you dooo!" Naruto sang.

"I don't, you baka!" Sasuke insisted glaring at the blonde man.

"Denial! You like her!" Naruto sang again.

"I DON'T!!!"

* * *

**At the other side of the city...**

Sakura walked in her neat office, purple stilettos echoing in the chic-furnished room. She threw her bag on her expensive desk, yet she didn't sit in her chair. She stood in front of one of the large windows of her office and looked at the park across the street. She took in a deep breath and sighed heavily in an attempt to make her stress go away.

The past week had been so pressing, she hadn't slept throughout it all. Work had been totally crazy those days. It still was the same.

Inhaling deeply once again, Sakura sat in her comfortable chair and pressed a button on the telephone device on her desk, calling her secretary.

There was a knock on her door and she gave permission to the person behind it to come in. The door opened slowly and a shy girl appeared. The girl had long black-blueish hair that reached the middle of her back. She had creamy skin and the most admirable thing on her were her pearly eyes that seemed not to focus somewhere particularly.

"Good morning, Haruno-san." The girl spelled quietly looking in her boss's eyes.

"Good morning, Hinata." Sakura replied tiredly. "Can you bring me a cup of coffee and come and tell me the schedule for today, okay?"

"Right away, Haruno-san!" the girl said hastily, worried about her boss's health. Sakura killed her self to work lately and that, definitely, couldn't be good!

"Hinata, I have told you a thousand times not to call me with my last name. We're friends!" Sakura complained.

"Sakura....this is our work place. I can't just call you 'Sakura'! You're my boss!"

"At least, call me 'Sakura-san', not 'Haruno-san'." Sakura asked.

"B-but..." the girl stuttered.

"No 'but's'! I'll accept nothing more!" Sakura retorted now sternly.

"Fine." The other woman finally surrendered. She knew how painfully stubborn her friend could be.

"Good! Now go and do what I asked you to!"

"Hai!" Hinata replied, turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Sakura thought of all the work that had to be done and felt her stomach become really heavy like it had lead in it. She contemplated that she had a very important meeting today, but she couldn't remember with who...

Just when she was trying to remember with who she had that important meeting, Hinata walked in and set a cup of coffee on the desk next to Sakura's right hand.

Sakura muttered a 'thank you' and caught the cup with her two palms, enjoying the warmth it emitted. She drank a big sip and felt her brain starting to work again. She saw Hinata watching her worriedly, but she brushed her off whispering "I'm fine."

She then ordered "Now tell me about the schedule for the day."

"Hai! At half past ten you are to meet Neji-kun here and talk about the advertisement Ichiraku-kun wants to do. At noon you have to meet Ichiraku-kun at his company. Ino will come and pick you up for lunch at 14:00. She will not take 'no' for an answer. Her actual words were "Tell her that I will have her office and whole house painted pink if she says no". And...you can't jeopardize your sanity for work, right?"

Sakura smiled faintly. "Right." she said. "How about the afternoon? Haven't I got any appointments then?"

"No. Ino made me cancel them all. She has the whole afternoon planned for you two. She told me something about 'manicure', 'pedicure', 'hot springs' and the 'hairdresser's'."

Sakura felt really grateful to have such great friends. However, she also felt kind of guilty for leaving such a load of work for tomorrow. But the guilt went immediately away when she thought about how much she would relax today, after such a crazy week.

Suddenly, a question popped in her head and tilted it up to look at Hinata.

"Hinata, tell me, has Ichiraku-kun finally selected us to advertise his product or is there another firm he is considering of entrusting his product with?"

Hinata hoped she wouldn't have to answer this question. How could she tell her that the one person she hated the most was her 'opponent'? "Oh, God help me!" Hinata thought desperate.

"S-Sakura..." she stuttered "How can I tell you this?"

"What? Don't tell me he...he is..." Sakura couldn't believe this! The one person she couldn't stand the most was aspirant to asserting one of her most ambitious projects!

"Sakura...are you alright?" Hinata asked warily.

"No, I'm not. I'll probably kill him the minute I see him, but I'll think about it later. I have to get to work, right now." she replied calmly but deep inside she was very very very pissed! She was going to crush that Uchiha bastard!

"When Neji arrives send him in immediately!" she commanded.

"Hai!" Hinata spun on her heels and left Sakura alone in her office.

Sakura brought her palms and rubbed her sore eyes trying to ease the pain of not having slept almost at all. She sighed for what seemed like the thirtieth time that day. She let her hands fall on the desk and caught the cup with the coffee with her right hand. She brought it to her pink lips and took a long sip closing her eyes in contentment.

After a few moments had passed, she opened her eyes and decided to work on her presentation for the Ichiraku advertisement.

She was absolutely drawn in her project when she heard the telephone ringing. It was Hinata informing her that Neji had arrived.

Someone knocked on her door.

"Come in!" she called.

Her office's door opened and she looked up to see a breathtakingly handsome man walk in.

Yes. Hyuuga Neji was gorgeous. Drop dead gorgeous. He was tall and had a lean figure. He also had a very well-built body. His legs were long and strong. He had broad muscular shoulders and toned abs, which you could discriminate as his shirt was tight around them. However, the most interesting part of him was his face. He had this pale skin that contrasted to his long dark brown hair. His eyes were also interesting, of a pearly-lavender nuance, just like his cousin's, Hinata. His straight nose, strong jaw and thin lips completed his whole appearance making it utterly appealing.

Sakura smiled at him a bit dazed by his powerful appearance. "Good morning, Neji."

"Good morning, Sakura." he replied, his voice low and totally masculine.

Sakura shivered a little at his tone. She smiled again, sheepishly this time.

"You know the reason why I called you here today, Neji. You are the main male model of my firm and so, I want you to participate in the new advertisement we might be preparing for Ichiraku-kun. If he chooses us, of course."

"_If_ he chooses us?" Neji asked curious, one eyebrow cocked.

"Well, yes." she said frowning at the thought. "It seemes that he's going to choose between our firm and...Uchiha's." She pronounced the last word as if it was a swear.

"I'll do my best to get the job. Together we will get it." Neji reassured her, staring deep in her eyes.

Sakura gulped harshly as she stared back at him. Her heartbeats started raising for some reason.

She looked down at her lap, breaking off their intense stare, and softly chuckled. "Yes, we will."

She could feel his stare burning holes through her skull and didn't dare to look at him again, afraid of embarrassing herself.

She finally lifted her gaze off her lap and chose to look at the door instead.

"Do whatever you have to do and then meet me here at half past eleven. We have to be at Ichiraku's company at noon." she demanded, her voice sounding all business-like.

The dark haired man reached for her hand and caressed softly, before getting of his chair and walking out.

Another shiver ran through her spine as she watched Neji's retreating back.

"Sakura, focus! We have business to deal with now!" she said to herself, regaining her composure.

It was incredible how this man made her drool like some twelve-year-old.

"Damn you, Neji and your hot looks!" she thought, mentally slapping herself.

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So, this is the first chapter! I hope you liked it! Don't forget to review!!!! See you soon! xoxo


	2. Ready! Set! Go!

So here it is! The second chapter! I know it took too long to update but I didn't want to do a hasty and messy job! I wanted the chapter to be perfect for you guys! Please review after you read this! Oh and thank all of you who have read and reviewed for the first chapter! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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**2. Ready! Set! Go!**

_At the Uchiha advertising firm..._

Sasuke was very pissed. The dobe wouldn't leave him alone for a second! He had been listening to him for half an hour, explaining to him how much in love he was with that Haruno woman, and he was still talking.

"...and it's just the way you look at her. Whenever you see her you drool like a twelve year old."

Sasuke snapped. "I don't drool and will you stop already? You're giving me a headache."

"Yeah, yeah. Headache. Can't you find another excuse, teme?" Naruto replied, eyes wide open with disbelief.

"Whatever, baka. Just leave me alone. It's 11 o'clock and we have to leave in half an hour in order to be at Ichiraku's at noon. Take this and study it. It's about the product _we_ will be advertising." Sasuke said with confidence while giving a file to Naruto.

"And dobe, when we get there, don't forget to be your vibrant, loud, ridiculous self of yours. Alright?" He asked with a smirk.

Naruto laughed and nodded his head in comprehension. "Hai!"

* * *

Sakura was quite stressed but she tried to suppress her stress and be her usual confident self. She was a business woman. A fearless, merciless and successful business woman and she would do whatever she had to do to win this client and eliminate that Uchiha.

Only the thought of his arrogant face made Sakura want to throw up. However, she had to admit, he was one strong opponent. Although he was an unsociable bastard, when it came to business he was very persuasive and a real smooth talker. And she hated him for that. She didn't have that gift. She was very short-tempered and she often had sudden outbursts when something got on her nerves. She wasn't what people call a 'patient' person. But this time she had to conceal her loud personality and be something like...the Uchiha. Not the same but...something like him.

Her phone rang. She picked it up hurriedly, almost dropping it in the process. "Yes?" she asked agonizingly.

"Sakura-san?" she heard Hinata's timid voice.

"Yes, Hinata?" Sakura asked once again.

"It's eleven thirty. Neji-san is here. You have to go."

"Okay. Thank you, Hinata. I'll be right there."

She stood up from her chair clumsily. She grabbed her handbag and her files and got out of the room wishing for the best.

Outside her office, Neji waited for her, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Ready to go?" he asked, looking at her scrutinizingly.

"Yes, I'm ready." She stepped closer to him. "Let's go kick some ass." She whispered in his ear smiling.

Neji smirked and opened the door of the elevator for her.

* * *

Sasuke looked at his watch. It was eleven thirty.

"Get up, dobe. We have to go. And kick Haruno's pretty ass." Sasuke announced venomously.

Naruto laughed loudly. "So it's pretty now?! And you tell me that you don't like her, teme!"

Sasuke didn't say anything about Naruto's comment and just commanded "Let's go."

Outside Sasuke's firm, there was a limousine waiting for them. When they got in, Sasuke indicated to the driver "Ichiraku's company."

The drive didn't last long. They got there five minutes before the meeting should start.

Sasuke and Naruto got off the limousine and entered the building.

They found a secretary waiting for them at the entrance. She led them to the fifth floor. She showed them to the boardroom where their meeting would take place and informed them that Mr. Ichiraku would be there in ten minutes.

The woman left the large room to go and get water and coffee while Sasuke and Naruto occupied two chairs.

"So, we're the first to arrive." Naruto stated happily.

"Hn." Sasuke gave his favorite answer and said no more, keeping his gaze fixed outside the window.

Five minutes had passed when they heard stilettos echoing outside the room. The door opened and the same secretary walked in followed by two other people, a woman and a man.

Sasuke felt a sting in his chest and refrained himself from jumping up from his chair.

He glared at the newcomers while he heard Naruto greet them.

The one that caught his eye was the woman. The woman with the pink hair. Pink hair. Who on earth had pink hair?! Obviously her. She had pink, long, straight hair that reached the middle of her back. The next thing on her face that made her stand out were her eyes. Big, doe-like, emerald eyes, framed by long, dark eyelashes. Her nose was a bit small and straight. Under the nose there were two full pink lips that shimmered, apparently by the lip-gloss she had applied on them. Moving his gaze lower to her body, Sasuke saw a slim figure; she wore a simple white t-shirt, skinny gray jeans and purple stilettos. On top of her shirt she had a gray jacket of light tricot. A big handbag was hanging from her right arm.

The moment he lifted his gaze to hers, her emerald eyes bore holes through his own, even piercing his skull. However, he didn't avert her stare and continued glaring at her and her companion.

* * *

Sakura followed the secretary inside the boardroom. The room wasn't empty. She distinguished two figures waiting in the room. Two men.

The blond man stood up from his chair and took a few steps towards her, proffering his hand to greet her and Neji. She greeted him back and turned to look at the other man who was still sitting.

Uchiha Sasuke.

Yes, Uchiha Sasuke was glaring at her. That bastard!

She scrutinized him for a while, fixing her gaze on him. She observed his dark spiky hair that seemed to bear a blue tint and then descended to his big onyx eyes, then his straight nose and finally, his thin lips which were now pursed into a thin line. His skin was pale, thus contrasted deeply to his dark hair and eyes. She had to admit, the sight was not bad at all. He was handsome and his face had an aristocratic air.

However, the "aristocrat" didn't even stand up out of common civility when she and Neji walked in, let alone greet them. He just kept sitting in his chair, glaring at them.

It was an awkward moment and the blond man, Uzumaki Naruto was his name, tried to break the ice saying "So, it's a nice day today, isn't it?". Sakura smiled at him and took a seat next to Neji who was already sitting.

She opened her bag. She pulled out her files. When she went through them she realized that the most important file was missing. "Oh, no!" she whispered.

Neji looked at her. "Is there something wrong?"

"I forgot the file with the presentation plan." She replied desperately.

"Well, don't you remember it? Do you absolutely need the file?" he asked with a low voice.

"Of course I remember it! But I need the file for the details! I'll call Hinata and tell her to bring it to me."

Neji nodded.

Sakura excused herself and got out of the room, her cellphone in her left hand.

She dialed quickly Hinata's number and waited for her to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hinata!"

"Yes, Sakura. What's wrong?"

"Listen to me. This is very important. I've forgotten the file with the presentation plan on my desk. The file is green. I need you to bring it to me right now. Do you understand?"

"Hai! I'll get there as fast as I can!"

"Good."

Sakura hang up her phone and walked back in the boardroom, taking her seat next to Neji.

Neji faced her stressed. "So?" he asked.

"Hinata will bring the file." She replied relieved and Neji patted her shoulder affectionately.

* * *

Sasuke watched the pinkette search her things nervously and then walk out the room. When she got back in, she seemed relieved. She talked to her partner who patted her on the shoulder. Apparently there was something wrong going on. He wished there was, for his benefit. If he had the opportunity to do Ichiraku's advertisement, he would gain millions of dollars and his firm's shares would spring to the top!

The door opened once again. The four people saw Ichiraku-kun walk in, followed by the same secretary who had welcome them. He looked at them smiling and said happily "Hello, my friends!". He shook hands with all of them and finally indicated to them to sit.

"So, you have brought your models, too." He remarked, observing Naruto and Neji. "I'm impressed" he continued "I'm sure that with whoever of the two of you I will cooperate, we will do an excellent job."

Sasuke smirked thinking that he would be the one making Ichiraku's advertisement. Looking over at Sakura, he saw her smiling with confidence.

"Uchiha-san, could we start with your presentation?" Ichiraku-kun asked.

Sasuke nodded seriously picking a file in front of him and opening it.

"As we had discussed previously, our idea of advertising your new product was to put a very well-known and accomplished model to advertise your product" Sasuke said pointed at Naruto, who had a big smile on his innocent face "and set up a warm and cozy setting. We will present a family eating lunch at their house. Naruto will be the father. There will also be a wife and two children. The family will be eating happily and Naruto will ask the kids if they like their new ramen. The children will reply cheerfully 'yes' and Naruto will turn to the camera smiling and will say "Always looking for the best! Delicious Ichiraku Ramen! Great only for you!' This is the idea." Sasuke finished his sentence curbing the edges of his mouth in an attempt to smile.

Ichiraku-kun nodded approvingly and looked at Sakura. "How about your presentation, Haruno-san?"

* * *

Sakura felt a big amount of blood rushing to her face as she began to turn red. Hinata wasn't there yet. So how was she supposed to do her presentation without her files? She opened her mouth to blurt out an excuse, but a gentle knock on the room's door stopped her.

Ichiraku-kun looked surprised at the door for a minute, but finally asked "Come in!"

Sakura's heart beats were racing like crazy as she hoped that it was Hinata knocking on the door. When the door opened, her heart calmed down. She watched Hinata walk in hesitantly and spell shyly "I'm sorry to interrupt you. I have to hand this to Haruno-san."

* * *

Hinata was very anxious. What if she didn't make it in time to get to Sakura? Then Sakura would have to do the presentation all by herself! She had to get there as quickly as she could!

When she arrived at the company, she rushed through the entrance without looking around her. She asked some secretary where Ichiraku-kun was having his appointment with Haruno-san and Uchiha-san and stormed to the elevator.

The elevator left her at the fifth floor. She searched for the boardroom and when she finally found it, she took a deep breath and knocked.

She heard a "Come in". She pushed the door open and walked in shyly. She looked around the room to find Sakura. Several pairs of eyes were staring at her curiously. "I'm sorry to interrupt you. I have to hand this to Haruno-san." she said quietly. She walked over to Sakura and gave the precious file to her.

Sakura looked at her relieved and whispered "Thank you."

Hinata smiled and prepared to leave when she heard Sakura explain to Ichiraku-kun "She is my secretary. Would you mind if she stayed?"

"Of course, she can stay." The man gave his permission.

The pink haired woman signaled her to sit next to her and Hinata had no other option than to do as her boss asked.

Her gaze wandered across from her as she observed two men she had only seen on television. The one had dark hair and eyes. The other was the exact opposite; blond with blue eyes. Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.

Her gaze locked with the sparkling blue gaze of the latter. She stared at him and he stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. When she managed to withdraw her stare from him, she didn't dare to look at him again. She felt electrified.

* * *

"Shall we start then?" Ichiraku-kun asked politely. Sakura nodded and started her speech opening her files.

"Ichiraku-kun, our proposition on your new product is to make it look appealing to all the age groups: to children, to adolescents, to elderly people, to working people. Our conception of advertising your ramen is to present a famous model, Neji Hyuga, working at a photo-shoot. When he has a break, he eats your new ramen and notices that everybody from his working crew eats the new ramen, too. When he leaves the photo-shoot, he passes by places like parks and sees that all kinds of people eat the ramen. He finally gets home and after he disposes of his work clothes, he wears his casual clothes and sits on the couch to relax. He takes from the coffee table a cup of ramen and starts to eat it. He, finally, stares at the camera and says contented "Delicious Ichiraku Ramen! What I eat! What everybody eats!"

Ichiraku-kun gazed both at Sakura and Sasuke uncertain and announced. "Thank you, both of you for your hard work. Please allow me to contemplate both your propositions. I'll be back soon enough to announce who I will choose."

And with that, he left the room followed by his secretary.

Sakura inhaled deeply trying to gain confidence and looked at Neji, who, however, seemed calm and collected. He turned to look at her and smirked at her reassuringly.

She smiled back at him and then looked at Hinata, who looked a little flushed.

"Hinata, is everything okay?" she asked worried.

The young woman stuttered as she replied. "Y-yes. I-I'm fine. I'm going to get some water. D-do you need anything?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine."Sakura answered, still staring at her worriedly.

Hinata stood up from her chair and walked out the room hastily.

Sakura looked over at the Uchiha. He shot her with one of his infamous glares and didn't stop until Sakura placed her gaze on the blond man next to Sasuke. Suddenly, Naruto got up and left the room with long strides murmuring something about 'getting coffee'.

Sakura watched his retreating back suspiciously until she couldn't see it anymore.

* * *

Hinata was feeling kind of dizzy. The piercing gaze of that man made her shiver. She had seen his eyes drinking her presence in when their gazes met. However, Hinata wasn't the kind of girl to flirt with a total stranger. Plus, he is her boss's and best friend's competitor, along with the Uchiha guy.

After Ichiraku-kun had left to decide who to choose for the advertisement of his product, she also left the room with the excuse of wanting to drink water. When she finally got several feet away from the room's door, she leaned against the wall sighing heavily, trying to gain her composure.

The blond man was so handsome! So handsome! Of course he is one of the most appreciated models in the country! But he stared at her with such admiration and desire! How could she, a simple woman, attract such an appealing man? She wasn't ugly, for sure, but she was certain that he could find someone better than her, regarding all the gorgeous female models he would be surrounded by.

Unless it was his routine to stare at every woman he met like that. This thought made her angry and she headed for the water machine to drink a glass of water.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her and she turned slowly around to see who it was.

Her pearly eyes met with sparkling blue. The tall, blond man smiled at her innocently and approached even closer proffering his hand to her.

"Hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"I-I'm Hyuga H-Hinata." Hinata said stuttering and blushing a little. Her usually pale cheeks had turned rosy when her hand made contact with his.

"It's nice to meet you, Hinata. So you work for Haruno-san?"

"Y-Yes. A-And you work for U-Uchiha-san?"

"That's right!" The man replied granting her with one dashing smile.

"T-That's nice. I-I have to go now. Excuse me." The young woman said hurriedly, heading back for the boardroom, leaving one very confused but utterly intrigued Naruto behind her.

* * *

Sasuke was getting impatient. What was that old man thinking about for so long? It was clear that his proposition was the best by far! Haruno had no chance of winning against him! And what was the dobe doing? It had been ten minutes since he left and he wasn't back yet. Where on earth was he?

He turned his gaze to the door. It opened and he hoped it was Naruto who got in, but he was wrong. It was Haruno's secretary. That timid, shy girl.

He averted his gaze from the door and settled it on his pink haired rival, who was currently talking with her partner. His eyes narrowed when he noticed how close they were. Maybe there was something going on between them. Maybe they had a 'thing'. Maybe they were lovers.

'Lovers?' he thought. 'They are lovers. But why do I care? She can date whoever she wants. Phhh!!!' and with that thought he got pissed with himself for caring for his rival's personal life.

He withdrew his gaze from them and looked next to him where Naruto had reappeared all of a sudden. He glared at him and asked with low voice "Where have you been? You've been missing for ten minutes!"

No response.

"Naruto?" he called his name, but his best friend wasn't listening to him.

He saw that the dobe was looking somewhere across from them and when he followed his gaze, he realized that it was Haruno's secretary the blond man was staring at.

So the dobe was flirting?! What a baka!

When he was ready to yell at his stupid friend, the door opened and Ichiraku-kun walked in.

Sasuke shut his mouth and waited for the older man to speak, full of anticipation.

"I want to thank again both of you for the effort you have put into my project, but unfortunately I can cooperate with only one of you. So without any further delay, the one who will be advertising my product is..."

* * *

Who will be doing Ichiraku's advertisement? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out! Until then, please review for this one! You know you make me happy-like-a-kid-who-gets-xmas-presents when you review!!! See ya!!! :)


	3. And the winner is

Okay! So chapter 3 is here! It has taken me forever to write it but I think it's worth all the nights I stayed up late to finish it! I hope you enjoy it! :)

Disclaimerr: I don't own neither Naruto nor Paolo Coelho's 'Alchemist' (you'll see what I mean).

* * *

_"I want to thank again both of you for the effort you have put into my project, but unfortunately I can cooperate with only one of you. So without any further delay, the one who will be advertising my product is..."_

Sasuke held his breath unconsciously. Would it be him? Ichiraku couldn't give this project to Haruno! No! He should be the one taking this over!

_"...the one who will be advertising my product is..."_

Sakura's heart was racing like crazy. She wanted to hear her name pronounced by Ichiraku's lips. She had put so much effort in this. She deserved it! She was the one who hadn't slept for over a month. Plus, she definitely didn't want to be eliminated by the Uchiha! The bastard who always messed with her business and sometimes with her life...That was not the matter at the moment! He was messing with her business right now!

"Uchiha-san! Congratulations! From this moment, you are in charge of the advertisement of the new ramen!" Ichiraku-kun said happily to Sasuke who looked at him agape for a second.

Sasuke recovered from his surprised state and a satisfied smirk settled on his thin lips while he shook hands with Ichiraku.

When the handshake was over, Ichiraku-kun turned to Sakura.

"I'm sorry, Haruno-san. You did a great job and I appreciate it greatly, but..."

Sakura shook her head smiling sadly. "It's alright, Ichiraku-kun. I understand. You don't need to explain anything. Thank you for listening to our suggestions."

She then took a few steps towards Sasuke who was talking with Naruto. While she was approaching him, he turned his gaze on her, looking at her impassively.

Her jade eyes locked with his onyx ones. "Congratulations." she spelled quietly proffering her hand to him.

Sasuke stared at her with disbelief. A wild battle was taking place in his mind. Should he thank her or should he just ignore her? The second option was the easier one, but if he did so he would look like a total jerk. He thought about his mother who has always told him to be nice with others. She would scold him if he ignored Sakura. So, he decided to thank her and thus, not look like an unsociable bastard.

"Thank you." he muttered under his breath and shook her hand for a second, before letting it go.

Sakura looked at him intensely and spun on her heels stepping towards Neji and Hinata, who were waiting for her next to the door.

The turmoil which was taking place in her mind was to be compared only to a tornado in the middle of the sea. Her frustration and disappointment were the dark clouds shedding the rain. Her anger was the blustering wind, which sent her emotions into a frenzy. Here and there lightnings of jealousy lightened the heavy clouds.

Yes. Haruno Sakura was frustrated and disappointed and angry. And a bit jealous. And yes. Her emotional state could only be compared to a tornado, at the moment.

But she didn't show it. She didn't let any of these emotions show on her face. She would set them free when she was at home, alone. Right now, she had to be calm and collected. And she was.

She reached Neji and Hinata and whispered "Let's go." The two of them nodded and followed her outside the room.

Hinata patted her on the shoulder and said affectionately "It's okay, Sakura. You did everything you could. It's okay."

Sakura didn't answer. She was very angry and that's why she didn't want to wreak her fury on her best friend, who was just trying to console her after all. She just kept walking towards the exit of the building where her driver was waiting for them.

She didn't talk during the drive to the firm and her partners were clever enough not to talk to her either.

* * *

Sasuke was very contented with himself. Very, very contented. He got the job and crushed Haruno. He was almost happy, if that could ever be possible!

He signed his contract with Ichiraku-kun and after they arranged some details, he and Naruto left the building and headed back to Sasuke's firm.

In the limousine, Sasuke was very quiet, but he always was, so, that was no strange thing. The real strange thing was that Naruto was also very quiet. He hadn't spoken a word since they left Ichiraku's company and although Sasuke was very pleased with that, he couldn't help but feel a bit concerned about his friend.

They had just signed a great contract, beneficial for both Sasuke and Naruto and while the latter should be laughing and being ridiculously loud about their success, he wasn't. He just wasn't. Sasuke started to wonder why his friend wasn't talking, but after a while he let it go thinking that Naruto was probably tired. However, if he had observed the blond man better he would have known that Naruto was definitely not tired.

The big car stopped in front of 'Uchiha Advertising'. Sasuke and Naruto got off the car and entered the building. Sasuke headed straight to his office, but before he asked his best friend what he was going to do next.

"Nothing special. I just have to run some errands, you know, pay the bills, go to the super-market. Stuff like that." Naruto replied looking at his shoes. In Sasuke's opinion he looked rather awkward.

"Are you okay, dobe?" the dark haired man asked warily.

"What? Oh, yes, yes, I'm fine. It's just that I have a lot of things to do." Naruto laughed abashed, scratching the back of his head.

Sasuke stared at him curiously. "Okay. My last meeting is with Karin at five. Wanna go have drinks in the evening, around ten?"

The blond man didn't answer. He seemed out of place. Sasuke started to lose his temper. What was wrong with the dobe?

"Naruto, I'm talking to you!" he hissed.

"Hm? Did you say something, Sasuke?"

"Hn. Where has your mind been wandering again, dobe? I said do you want to have drinks afterwards, at ten?"

"Hm. Yeah okay." Naruto answered completely drawn into his thoughts.

Sasuke glared at him, but when he saw that his glare didn't have the smallest impact on his stupid friend, he gave up.

"I'll come pick you up from your apartment." he announced and turned his back to Naruto heading towards his office.

He stepped in his neat office and closed the door behind him sighing. Naruto was being weird since they left Ichiraku's company. Something was wrong with his best friend but he couldn't figure out what. He shook this thought off his mind, since there were much more important things to worry about at the moment, like the load of work that has been waiting to be done. He sat in his expensive leather chair and pressed the button on his telephone device to call in his secretary.

"Yes, sir?" Sai asked his boss.

"Sai, tell me what's in the schedule for now." Sasuke demanded autocratically.

"There are some contracts which need to be signed, sir."

"Bring them in."

"Hai!"

Sai brought him the contracts leaving them on Sasuke's desk and left. Sasuke looked at the stack of paperwork in front of him grunting. He hated this, but he had to do it. He shook his annoyance away and started to study the documents and finally sign them. It seemed that it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Sakura was tired. And furious. She thought she could make Ichiraku believe in her project, but no. The old man had to go and pick Uchiha instead. That bastard! He always messed with her life. He was always in front of her like some kind of obstacle she had to overcome every time! She hated him! Oh how she hated him!

She closed her eyes and rubbed small circles on her temples with her fingertips in an attempt to shake the exhaustion away. The thought of the whole spa session Ino had prepared for her sounded very appealing now. She needed to be spoiled at the moment.

A few knocks were heard on her door and it opened before she gave permission to.

"What is it, Hinata?" she asked, her eyes still closed.

"I-I came to p-pick you up f-for lunch, Haruno-san." Ino spelled in an excellent imitation of Hinata's voice.

Sakura opened up her eyes and saw a gorgeous blond woman with baby blue eyes staring at her amused.

"Pig. Why are you here?" Sakura asked confused her best friend since high school.

"Hello to you too, Forehead! And I've already told you why I'm here! I came to pick you up for lunch. Jeez!" the blonde beauty exclaimed with indignation, flipping her long ponytail off her right shoulder with a graceful move.

Sakura wanted to laugh for the first time that day. That woman in front of her had the mysterious ability to make her day when everything seemed dim. No wonder she was her best friend.

"Right!" Sakura said smiling "I forgot about that."

"Look, I know you had a rough day today, Forehead. Hinata told me what happened, but I'm not here to remind you that. I' m here to make you feel good. Why do you think I planned the whole day just for the two of us! To have fun! It's been so long since we last talked. Now get your lazy butt over here and let's go eat something! I'm starving!" Ino exclaimed indignant once again.

"Alright, Pig! Don't shout! I'm coming!"

The pink haired woman grabbed her bag and followed Ino outside her office. Ino had reached the elevator, but Sakura made a stop in front of Hinata's desk first.

"Hinata, you can leave at four today. There isn't much work to be done and if something happens, some other employee will inform us. You can go home and rest for today."

"Thank you, Sakura-san. Have fun with Ino."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Hinata." Sakura waved at her and headed to the elevator where Ino was waiting for her.

They left the building and got into Sakura's car. Ino hadn't let Sakura drive. "You're tired! I'll drive." the blonde said looking at her friend affectionately.

Sakura laughed at Ino's antics. "You're being rather sensitive today, Pig!"

Ino frowned. "It's my fault I'm being a good friend, stupid Forehead."

"I love you, too, Pig." Sakura replied smiling.

They drove to the center of the city and stopped in front of a very well-known restaurant. Ino had already made a reservation, so they didn't have to look for a table.

When they sat down, Ino started to rattle away about the dress she had bought a few days ago for the awards in which Sakura was nominee for the Best Advertiser Of the Year.

"...It's a little electric blue dress. Very sexy. It has a low back and a low front. Shikamaru will see me and drop dead on the ground. That lazy-ass still hasn't asked me out on a date yet. I know he likes me. Every time he sees me his eyes stay glued on me, but he hasn't made a move yet. But tomorrow night...Ha ha! Tomorrow night I'm gonna make him beg me for a date with him! And-"

"Wait! What did you say? Tomorrow night? The awards are tomorrow night?" Sakura asked terrified. She had forgotten all about the awards, with all the workload and stuff. Great! Now she had no time to look for a dress!

"Well, yeah!" Ino exclaimed indignant "You had forgotten about it? Sakura! What are you going to do now? Do you have a dress? Thank god you had me to remind you or else you wouldn't show up tomorrow!"

Sakura didn't reply. She was too exhausted to argue with Ino right now. But, of course, her lack of sensitivity over the subject made Ino even more indignant.

"Sakura, do you or do you not have a dress? Don't ignore me, miss!"

Sakura sighed heavily and looked at her friend with an expression that was clearly saying 'Leave me alone, damn it!'

"Oh, don't give this look to me! Tell me! Do you have a dress? If you don't I'll give you one of mine."

"Yes, I have a dress, Ino. I'll wear that green dress I had worn at your birthday. Isn't it okay?"

The blonde woman thought about it for while before replying "Well, I guess it's fine. Now, eat up because I have an appointment at the spa for us in an hour. We're getting a massage!"

After they finished lunch they went to the spa, where two gorgeous, well-built men were waiting to give the women their massages. When Sakura saw them, she blushed furiously. Ino, on the contrary was extremely happy and gave them sultry looks. This made Sakura blush even more (she was almost like a tomato) but out of embarrassment of her friend's attitude this time.

They lied down on the soft seats and let themselves get lost into the pleasure of having their sore muscles finally relaxed. Those masseurs were really good. They definitely knew how to use their hands.

Both Sakura and Ino hadn't talked since they lied down. Suddenly, after fifteen minutes had passed, Ino spoke.

"So, was the Uchiha cocky today?"

Sakura snapped her eyes open. "Why are you asking?"

"I'm just curious."

"I thought we agreed we wouldn't talk about this." Sakura retorted annoyed.

"Yeah, but remember back in high school when he'd always brag when he got better grades than you and he'd always tease you about that. He was such a jerk! And-"

"Ino! I don't want to talk about high school! Okay? Stop it!" The pink haired woman hissed.

"Fine, fine! But you shouldn't get so upset about it! You're the one who says that you're over it, anyway!"

"I am over it!"

"Good, you should be. Besides, you're not still infatuated with the Uchiha as you were back then." Ino pointed out sarcastically.

Sakura's eyes shone with surprise and anger. "I think I told you to drop this."

"Okay, I will, but before I do, I must tell you, as your best friend, that your reactions towards him show that you're not as much over him as you like to claim."

"I may consider taking the title of 'my best friend' from you and giving it to someone else if you keep this up. So, you better stop. Now."

Ino looked at her with disbelief, but didn't say anything. She didn't want to get Sakura angry. It would be a frightening picture to behold!

Soon their massages were over. The two women proceeded to the next room for a facial. They didn't exchange a word as Sakura was too busy being angry at Ino and respectively, Ino was busy ignoring Sakura.

When they finally exited the building, Sakura dropped her attitude and deigned to ask her blonde friend where they were going next. Ino continued ignoring her for a little while.

"Ino, come on, tell me! Where are we going next?" Sakura asked desperate to know.

Ino gave her best friend a disdainful look but gave up her attitude too when Sakura gave her the puppy eyes.

"To the hairdresser's. You need a new haircut." She replied curtly.

* * *

Sasuke was very tired and all he wanted to do was go home and go to bed. But, he couldn't do that. Not yet, at least. He had that appointment with Karin at five, unfortunately. Oh, sometimes he just hated his life. He looked at his watch. It was a quarter to five. Great! He would have Karin in his office in fifteen minutes. And at that moment, he wished time would freeze right then.

The fifteen minutes passed really fast. It was five sharp when Sai informed Sasuke that Karin was waiting outside his office. Sasuke grunted but told Sai to let her come in anyway. The sooner he dealt with her the better!

However, before Sai could tell her to go in, the woman had already stormed in Sasuke's office. Sasuke grunted.

"Sasuke-kun!" she called in delight.

Sasuke didn't greet her but even pursed his lips as tightly as he possibly could. Yes, the red haired woman in front of him with the hideous black glasses, which she rarely wore anymore, was very annoying. Very, very annoying. So annoying that he wanted to physically hurt her. But, unfortunately, he couldn't do that because she was his employee. She was one of his firm's models.

"Sasuke-kun, won't you greet me?" she asked with a flirtatious smirk on her lips, while taking mincing steps towards him.

"Hn."

"Always taciturn, Sasuke-kun. That's why you're so cute!"

Sasuke glared at her. He hated when women tried to seduce him. "What do you want, Karin?" he asked coldly.

"May I sit, Sasuke-kun?" she asked seductively again.

"Hn."

After she sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, he looked at her curious to know what she was about to tell him. "So?"

"I wanted to ask you Sasuke-kun, are you going with someone at the awards tomorrow?"

"Why?" he said annoyed.

"Because it would be great if we went together, Sasuke-kun. The most attractive man deserves to go with the most attractive woman." she replied with a coy smile.

Sasuke had the sudden urge to snort hearing her last comment, but refrained from doing so.

"I'm going with Naruto." he answered even though he hadn't asked his best friend. He didn't care what Naruto was going to say. He had to save him from the red haired vixen. Sasuke definitely preferred to put up with Naruto for a night than to have to deal with Karin.

"Oh. But you must go with a woman, Sasuke-kun. And who's better than me?" she pouted childishly.

"I've made my decision. I'm going with Naruto. The end. Now, if you don't have anything important to tell me, just go. I have a lot of serious work to do." He said strictly, glaring at her.

Karin frowned in discontent. "Fine." she replied annoyed and left flipping her hair behind her back. Before she closed the door behind her, she gave Sasuke one last sultry look.

When the door closed, Sasuke snorted loudly. What had he done to deserve this?

* * *

Sakura looked at the hairdresser behind her back from the mirror in front of her. The woman was currently cutting the edges of her hair. Ino had secretly talked with the woman about how she should do Sakura's hair and, of course, the pinkette was not informed. What had she done to deserve this? She liked her hair the way it was. But Ino said that she needed to get a new look, to refresh her image.

Sakura sighed loudly. Her mind kept replaying Ino's words that she wasn't over the Uchiha yet. That couldn't be true. She was in high school back then, for god's sake! She had had plenty of relationships after high school. Ino was being nonsensical!

"There! You're ready!" the hairdresser exclaimed.

Sakura looked at her reflection in the mirror stupefied. She had been so drawn in her thoughts that she hadn't realized when her hair was done.

Now that she took a better look at her new haircut she thought that it really fettered her face. The length was shorter than before, reaching a two or three inches under her shoulders and. A long bang which started from above her right eye and ended at the left side of her chin framed her face beautifully, giving her an air of sweetness.

Sakura smiled at her reflection and turned to Ino who was admiring her now shaped idea. "Thank you, Pig. Your idea was actually very good."

"You're welcome, Forehead. What do you think about my hair?" the blonde woman asked coyly.

"You're beautiful as always, Pig. So what do we do now?"

"Manicure-pedicure. Let's go." Ino replied in a telegraphic manner.

Sakura paid for her haircut and followed her friend to the car.

* * *

Sasuke finished studying some important files and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was six o'clock. He had to go home now. He placed his files in the drawer and walked out of the office. He made a stop in front of Sai's desk who was working on his computer.

"Sai, I'm leaving. You can leave, too, in an hour. Before you leave make sure the office is neat. If anything happens call me on my cell phone."

"Hai!"

Sasuke headed towards the elevator which left him at his private garage. He got into his car and drove towards his house. He needed a hot bath right now. And he had to pick up Naruto at ten.

He got at his house, an immense villa his parents had bought him as a present for his graduation from college. He parked his car and took the elevator to the floor where his bedroom was. The villa had three floors and each one had its own elevator.

He threw the keys of his car on his bed and proceeded to his private bathroom to get ready for his bath. The bath was luxurious with marble floor. The lavatory pan, the washstand and the bathtub were also made of marble. A big crystal mirror hung above the washstand and reflected the beautiful tiles of the walls, which had a pale blue color. Above the bathtub there was a window which was framed by twin white silken curtains.

Sasuke let the hot water run in the bathtub until it reached somewhere above the middle of it. He discarded his clothes on the floor and sank in the warm water while pouring some foam bath in it. He felt his tense body relax and all of the tiredness go away.

He stayed like that for about fifteen minutes when he decided that it was about time he got out. He stood up and wrapped a fluffy towel around his waist. He headed to his bedroom where he opened his closet and picked out a pair of black boxers, a black tracksuit and a white sleeveless shirt. He also picked out the clothes he would be wearing at night when he'd go for drinks with Naruto.

Changed in his new clean clothes, he got in his bed after setting the alarm for 20:30. He pulled the covers over his head and indulged himself into a cherished couple of hours' sleep.

* * *

Sakura and Ino were having their nails done and next were their toe-nails.

Ino turned to Sakura.

"Wanna go for a couple of drinks afterwards?" she asked.

"I don't know, Ino...I'm tired!"

"Oh, come on! It's been do long since we last went out together! We'll go to 'Soho'! You like 'Soho'! Please Forehead!"

Sakura frowned. She really wasn't in the mood of going out. But Ino was pouting now...Oh, what the heck? She could go for a drink for a couple of hours. She definitely needed some alcohol!

"Fine" she said "we'll go."

"Yay! Great!" Ino cheered.

They headed straight for Sakura's house after their nails and toe-nails were done. Sakura slumped in the sofa of her living room while Ino went in the kitchen to drink a glass of water. She came back in the living room looking at Sakura disapprovingly.

"If that's the way you're gonna be at the bar, we'd better not go, Forehead."

"I'm tired, okay? Just give me some time to relax and I'll be fine. Maybe we should sleep for an hour. It's just seven anyway. We'll get up at 20:30, we'll get ready and be at 'Soho' at around ten. What do you say?"

"I think you're right, Forehead. Let's get some sleep. And when we wake-up, we'll be fresh and ready to make every man drool over us!"

* * *

Sasuke got up at 20:30 sharp. He sat up on his warm mattress and stretched his arm in contentment. He let a deep yawn escape his lips while lifting the covers to get out of bed. He walked in the bathroom, let the water run in the washstand and washed his hands; he then splashed water on his drowsy face. He looked at his handsome face in the mirror and smirked. It had been a good day today.

He left the bathroom and went back in his bedroom and started to get dressed in the clothes he had already picked: a dark blue shirt with a black jacket on top and a pair of black trousers. He wore his leather black shoes and headed to the mirror in the bathroom to do his hair with some gel.

Sasuke decided to use the stairs to get to the garage. When he got to the first floor of his enormous house, where there were the kitchen, the living room and the dining room he bumped into his...mother! His mother?

"Mom! What are you...I mean, how come you are here?" the dark haired man asked a bit of startled.

"Sasuke-chan!" his mother exclaimed affectionately "I've been looking for you! How are you my pretty boy? It's been so long since I last saw you!"

His mother, Mikoto, a woman with ebony long hair, onyx eyes and the same nose as Sasuke's, ran towards him and took him into a suffocating hug.

"Mom, you're suffocating me! I'm fine!" Sasuke spelled with difficulty as his mother's suffocating hug was impeding him from breathing properly.

Mikoto let her son go but kept her hands on each one of his shoulders.

"How are you, mother?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. I just missed you, that's all! Your father missed you, too. Itachi is away and you're the only child we have here. We need to see you more often!"

"I know. I've missed you, too."

Mikoto scrutinized her youngest son. He had changed but she didn't know how exactly. But it was very rare for Sasuke to express emotion, even for his family.

"Since we have missed you so much and you have missed us, how about we have lunch on Saturday?" Mikoto asked smiling at him with adoration.

"Okay. But I have to go now. I'll see you on Saturday."

"Yes. On Saturday. Have fun!" Mikoto winked at him, a cunning smirk playing on her lips.

Sasuke hn'ed and left quickly waving at her for a second.

He got in his expensive car and drove towards Naruto's house. He hoped that the dobe wasn't sleeping. He parked his car outside Naruto's house. He walked the little path which led to the front door and knocked on the doorbell once.

In a few seconds the housekeeper, an old but kind woman, opened the door.

"Uchiha-san! Welcome!"

"Hn. Is Naruto in?"

"Yes, yes. He is waiting for you. Come in."

Sasuke walked in the house, which quickly gave the impression that it was a bachelor's house. The housekeeper, Maya-san, was the only constant female presence in the dobe's house and the only one who took care of it, since Naruto was...well, Naruto and he didn't have a girlfriend to put things in order for him.

"Naruto-san is upstairs, in his bedroom."

Sasuke nodded in comprehension and started to go up the stairs. He found the door of Naruto's room open, so he didn't bother to knock.

Naruto was currently wearing a red shirt in front of a pier-glass. He realized Sasuke was behind him, so he turned hurriedly exclaiming "Teme! You're here!"

"Dobe. Stop shouting."

"Always broody, Sasuke. Can't you have any other expression apart from broody and moody and angry?"

"Hn."

Naruto laughed. "Whatever. I'm ready. Ikuzo!"

Sasuke hn'ed once again but followed Naruto downstairs.

Before leaving, Naruto turned to the housekeeper who was standing by the door, and said "Don't wait up for me, Maya-baa-chan!"

"I won't. Have fun, Naruto-san, Uchiha-san." And with these words, she closed the door behind them.

"So, where are we going, teme?" Naruto asked happily.

"Soho?" Sasuke replied with a question.

"Yosh! Soho it is!"

* * *

Sakura turned off the alarm-clock as soon as it started beeping. She rubbed her drowsy eyes with her palms and turned to Ino who wasn't bothered at all by the alarm and was still sleeping.

"Ino! Wake-up! We have to get ready for Soho." the pink haired woman muttered drowsily.

"Just five more minutes, Forehead." Ino said with her eyes closed.

"Whatever, Pig. I'm getting up."

Sakura grabbed a fluffy pink towel from her drawer and walked in the bathroom to get a nice hot shower. When she was finished, she wrapped the towel around her body and walked back in her bedroom to get dressed. However, Ino wasn't there.

"Pig, where are you?" she asked at the top of her voice.

"I'm in the kitchen, Forehead and I'm drinking water! Jeez!" Ino shouted back with the same force

Sakura's lips curled up into a smile. "You know I can't live without you, Pig!" she retorted.

"Yes, I know."

She heard Ino's voice behind her and turned to face her. "Are you having a shower, too?"

"No, I'm fine. But I think I'll borrow something from your closet, Forehead."

"Sure. Go ahead."

Both women got dressed and put on their make-up quite quickly. Sakura wore a sleek black dress with a length of two inches above her knees. It had straps and wasn't very revealing as far as it concerned her back and breast. Ino wore one of Sakura's dresses. It was small...and red...and it really popped...Anyway, they got into Sakura's car and drove to Soho.

On their way to the club, Sakura voiced a thought that had been preoccupying her mind since they left her house.

"You know what? We should tell Hinata to come, too. She has been working as hard as me those days."

"Oh, okay. The more the better." The blonde woman said smiling.

"Good, but you should call her because I'm a little preoccupied right now." Sakura retorted nodding her head to her hands on the steering wheel.

"Oh, right!"

Ino picked up her cell phone and dialed Hinata's number.

_"Hello?"_

"Hinata! How are you, girl?"

_"I'm fine, Ino."_

"Good. Look, Sakura and I are going to Soho right now. Wanna come?"

_"Oh, um, I don't know. I'm kind of tired."_

"Come on! It's girls' night out! You have to come!"

_"Um...Fine, I'll come."_

"Great! We'll get a table and wait for you there."

_"Alright. I'll see you there."_

"Bye!"

Ino turned to Sakura. "She's coming."

"Great. And we're here!"

Sakura parked the car and proceeded to the club's entrance with Ino.

They found a table near to the bar. They sat in their seats and in a few minutes a waiter came to take their orders. Their drinks came just in time. Both women needed some alcohol to lighten their mood; especially Sakura's. She still seemed to think about the events of that day's morning, although she was remarkably more carefree than when Ino met her in the afternoon.

Twenty minutes had passed when they saw their dark haired friend with the pale eyes look for them near the bar. Hinata turned her head towards their direction and they waved at her. She nodded and headed to their table smiling broadly at them.

"Wow, you're fast! I called you twenty minutes ago!" Ino exclaimed, her eyes wide open in disbelief.

"Well, I just changed clothes." Hinata replied shyly pointing at her night blue sleeveless dress.

"Still. You're fast. Because Ino needs two hours to get ready even to go to the super-market!" Sakura laughed teasingly.

"You're the one to talk, Forehead!" Ino retorted pouting at the same time.

"I'm teasing you, Pig. Jeez!" Sakura and Hinata laughed at Ino's antics.

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto got to Soho at around ten. Sauke parked his car and entered the big club with Naruto on his side. The club wasn't full yet, so there were many free tables. They picked a table near to the bar. The waiter brought them their drinks and they sipped them in utter silence.

Of course, Uchiha Sasuke wasn't the talkative kind. None of the Uchihas was. But Naruto, he should be rambling incessantly! Sasuke looked at his blond friend who was staring somewhere near them. And for the first time in his life Sasuke did the unexpected for an Uchiha: he initiated a conversation.

"Dobe! Dobe! What are you looking at?" he asked irritated.

Naruto looked up at Sasuke startled. "Hm?"

"You're annoying, dobe."

"What did I do this time?" Naruto asked indignant.

"Hn. You're weird."

"I'm not weird. It's just that...Okay, look to the right. Can you see a woman with pink hair?" the usually hyperactive man asked, his sky blue eyes shining cunningly.

Sasuke froze in shock. A woman with long pink hair was sitting just a few meters away from them. Who else could that woman be than Haruno Sakura?

"So, you're staring at Haruno?" Sasuke asked in an attempt to hide his surprise and to calm his pounding heart in his chest.

"No..." Naruto replied unsure of what Sasuke was trying to pull off. "I just noticed her and her friends. That's all."

"Hn. You're lying, dobe."

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you are. You obviously like one of them, but I don't know who yet. Hmm...Let me guess...Maybe it's the girl with the weird eyes. Am I right?"

Naruto blushed a crimson red. Suddenly, the room was too hot for him. Sasuke noticed the blond's blush and smirked.

"You don't have to answer. Your face has already given the answer." Sasuke teased him.

"At least I like someone, unlike you. You'd like an ice-burg better than a woman, teme." Naruto teased back.

"Hn." The dark haired man gave the ever intelligent answer glancing at the pinkette, who by coincidence looked at him at the same time. His hands started to sweat all of a sudden.

* * *

Sakura was looking around the club observing the clientele. Ino, next to her, was babbling to Hinata about Shikamaru and Sakura pretended to listen to all those things she had already heard before just because she didn't want to listen to Ino nagging at her. While she was observing the place, her gaze stopped on the one person she least expected to see for the second time that day: Uchiha Sasuke.

And he was staring back at her. The universe must had been playing some very bad joke on her. Was this man following her everywhere she went? Why did she always have to bump into him? Why? "I thought that Coelho said that when we want something really bad, the whole universe conspires for that to happen. And I definitely don't want to see the Uchiha 24/7! So, what's up with you, universe?" she shouted mentally to the ceiling of the club.

Ino noticed her best friend's strange behavior and stared at her, a worried expression on her beautiful face.

"Sakura? What are you doing? Why are you staring at the ceiling?"

Sakura turned her head slowly from the ceiling to her best friend saying in a telegraphic way "Left. Uchiha. Uzumaki."

"What are you talking about?" Ino looked to her left trying to figure out what the pinkette meant. Hinata looked confused, too. When the blonde woman realized what Sakura was talking about her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh..." she spelled.

"Yes. You put it very well. Oh. It's our night out! Why did we have to see him at our night out?" Sakura exclaimed desperate.

"Okay now. Calm down. He's just having his drink and we're just having ours. There's nothing bad to that."

"Yes. But I don't want to see him for the next century if that's possible!" Sakura shouted but her voice was lost in the loud music.

"I don't think it's possible, Forehead but, anyway, just ignore him."

"How can I ignore him when he and his stupid friend are staring at us?" (Hinata flinched at the'stupid' comment)

Sakura glared at the men across from her and conspicuously turned her back at them.

* * *

"Oops. Seems to me that Haruno is not very glad to see you, teme." Naruto teased Sasuke.

"Hn." The usual answer came.

* * *

An hour passed when the three women decided to call it a night. Sakura couldn't stand to stay there more with the Uchiha almost next to her. She had passed this hour with her back turned to the men, ignoring them, well, actually, ignoring Sasuke.

Sasuke, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes off her and the way her dress clang on to her curves. He was feeling hypnotized and he hated himself for being so much affected by her presence.

Naruto was at the same state. The difference was that Naruto was clearly showing it. His eyes were glued on Hinata, observing her every move. His eyes widened in fascination every time she laughed. But when he realized that the three women were leaving...

"Oh, no!" he exclaimed disappointed.

"What is it, dobe?" Sasuke asked monotonously.

"They're leaving!"

"Who's leaving?" the Uchiha asked nonchalantly, but only he knew that if he weren't an Uchiha he would be shouting like Naruto right now.

Naruto got up from his seat hurriedly and said with a determined tone "Wait here."

"Where are you going, dobe?" Sasuke asked, but it was too late. Naruto was heading towards Sakura and her friends who were near the exit of the club.

Naruto approached the three women.

"Excuse me."

The women turned to face him.

Naruto stared at Hinata and then turned his gaze to Sakura.

"Haruno-san, we met this morning" he greeted "Do you think I can borrow your friend for a while?"

Sakura nodded her head speechless while looking at Ino who had the same expression.

"Um, hi. How are you?" Naruto asked Hinata, a light blush creeping on his cheeks.

"I-I'm fine." The dark haired girl answered warily.

"I know this is strange but I'd like to give you my phone number. I'm not asking for yours. Just take it and if someday you want, just call me. Um, that's all I had to say..."

"O-Okay."

Naruto couldn't hold his cheeks from blushing anymore, so he decided to leave.

"Okay. I'll see you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Hinata stood frozen there, unable to think or speak, her heart beats racing like crazy inside her chest.

* * *

So, this was the third chapter of the story. Ideas for the story and constructive criticism are always welcome! ;) Until the next chapter, have fun and live your life like every day is the last! See ya! xoxo


	4. Eventful Night

Hey, everyone! I'm back! :p I know it took me forever to update but chapter 4 is here! I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**4. Eventful Night**

_She entered the big gate, her blue skirt billowing out in the breeze, threatening to reveal her undergarment. She tugged at her skirt desperately while looking behind her back nervously. She didn't want her schoolmates to see what she wore underneath her school clothes! But, since luck rarely did her the favor to be on her side, she saw terrified that the one most arrogant, selfish, cocky bastard she had promised to hate for an eternity, was smirking at her ironically and cunningly at the same time. She decided to ignore him, turning her head to the front, however, not being able to stop the blood from rushing to her face. And when she thought she was saved, she heard the dreadful remark._

_"Nice panties, Pinky." the loathed voice said, dripping with irony._

_The pink-haired girl kept on crossing the school yard, not daring to face the bastard._

_"Pink. How unpredictable!" the voice continued even more sarcastically._

_Sakura chose to ignore him again and entered the school building heading towards her locker._

_"Are you deaf, Pinky?" the boy asked another question even though she wouldn't answer him. He just loved to watch her get mad at him and blush like she was ready to explode. Wait. Did he just think that he 'loved' to see her get mad at him? He mentally slapped himself. 'Uchihas don't love! We lack emotions, damn it!' Sasuke shouted in his head, in an attempt to con himself. He didn't like Haruno Sakura! He wasn't madly and SECRETLY in love with her. No! He couldn't be! He hated her! She was so annoyingly annoying! No! He just teased her because he hated her! That's right! 'Keep telling yourself that and you might believe it.' a voice sang in his head. 'Shut up!' Sasuke replied mentally, silencing the annoying voice effectively._

_When the mental conversation in his head was over, he realized that Sakura had stopped in her tracks and was watching him intensely like she was worrying about his sanity. He had also stopped walking and was now a couple of steps away from her. He could clearly see the pink soft bangs which framed her heart-shaped face beautifully and he could observe her amazing emerald eyes which always seemed to pierce his skull with their intense gaze. He tried to exit his stupefied state by saying something, anything, but his tongue was stuck on his palate as his mouth was dry, like the Sahara desert, and slightly open. She mockingly cocked an eyebrow at him and quickly turned her back to him resuming her walk to her locker._

_Her sudden motion caused him to make his tongue move again and finally managed to blurt out "So, are you deaf?"_

_The girl opened her locker with slow, calm moves, took the books she needed and applied some lip gloss on her plump lips looking at her reflection in the little square mirror she had stuck in her locker. Then, with one sudden movement she closed her locker noisily and looked at the raven haired boy who was standing a few meters away from her, waiting for her reply. Her fine pink eyebrows were furrowed in an angry expression and her shimmering lips were pursed tightly. Sasuke wasn't afraid of her, of course! However, he took a couple of steps backwards, you know...just in case..._

_The minute she opened her mouth (which he so badly wanted to kiss) he felt frightened and excited at the same time. He knew she was going to insult him for everything he had said before, but he couldn't help himself from loving the way she would busy herself with answering back at him._

_"You know what, Mister-I'm-better-Than-Everyone-Else-in-Here? No, I'm not deaf! But I pretend to be, because everything you say is meaningless to me! You're just some cocky bastard who happened to be cute and thinks that because of his looks he can judge everyone like he's God or something! Why don't you think about other people's feelings for a change apart from your own ego? Jerk!"_

_And with that impromptu speech she spun on her heels and started pacing away. Sasuke ran a hand through his raven spiky locks sighing and finally asked her with curiosity "So, you think I'm cute, Haruno?"_

_"Screw you, Uchiha!"_

_The class was waiting patiently for Anko-sensei to start their history class. Sakura sat in her chair, not talking to anybody. She wasn't in the mood of talking even though her best friend, Ino, tried to catch her attention by pulling her hair and hissing her name "Sakuraaa! Sakuraaa!"_

_The cherry blossom turned her head to the back and faced her friend asking her tiredly "What do you want, Ino?"_

_"I've been calling you for five minutes now. Why aren't you answering me?"_

_Sakura didn't answer and simply gave her her 'leave-me-alone' look._

_"What's wrong, Forehead? You seem to be in a foul mood today." the blonde stated scrutinizing her best friend's face worriedly._

_"I stayed up late studying last night. That's all." Sakura lied and made a move to turn to the front, but Ino's words stopped her._

_"Really? Because I thought that I saw you arguing with Sasuke this morning..." Ino retorted in an allegedly nonchalant way which made the rosette freeze in her seat._

_"So?" she asked allegedly nonchalant, too, not daring to look Ino in the eyes._

_"Nothing, it's just that you're always moody when you argue with him and..." she turned and glanced at the said boy who sat two desks back across from her "he's always happy, like now for example, when he argues with you." Ino finished her sentence looking at Sakura with an eyebrow cocked and a cunning twinkling in her baby blue eyes. Sakura didn't say anything and just glanced at Sasuke who had a smirk of contentment on his lips. He stared at her and winked, his smirk still plastered on his lips. Sakura looked at him shocked and hid her face behind Ino's head who had watched the whole scene._

_"See?" the blonde asked "he's happy. And that's pretty weird, because he's always moody and he never initiates any kind of conversation or...argument with any of the girls in the school, but only you..." She paused for a while to contemplate the situation and..."Oh my god, Sakura! He likes you!" she whispered in awe. The pink-haired girl stared at her with disbelief and then, she started to laugh and after she started she couldn't stop. She tried to, but she couldn't! Ino looked at her best friend incredulously; she certainly didn't expect this kind of reaction. "Ino, you're so funny!" Sakura said now giggling and patting the blonde on the hand before turning to the front. She giggled for few more minutes at the idea of Sasuke liking her. It was so ridiculous! Ino was just hallucinating. The guy simply hated her and it was obvious._

_Anko-sensei walked in the classroom and all the chatting and laughter ceased immediately. The class started but Sakura couldn't bring herself to focus on it. Her mind strayed at Ino's comment and even though she denied it fiercely to her friends, deep inside she knew that she was in love with Uchiha Sasuke. She just denied it because she could see that he didn't like her and she didn't want to hope that anything could happen between them. So, she convinced herself that it was just an infatuation and tried to hate him, something which wasn't difficult considering the way he treated her._

_But the thought of Sasuke wanting her made her dream of how she would feel under his touch,what it would be like to be encircled by his strong arms and be kissed by his soft lips. These ideas made her heart pound inside her chest and for a crazy moment she believed that her strong heartbeats could be heard by the whole class. She looked around her warily, but no one paid attention to her; everyone listened to Anko-sensei or at least feigned to. She turned her head to the back cautiously and glanced at Sasuke once more; he was watching their teacher concentrated. His ebony locks contrasted so deliciously to his pale smooth skin and his onyx eyes seemed to shine like black diamonds at the sunlight, which spread its warmth into the classroom._

_The girl felt enchanted by his whole presence. He looked like an angel and her heart lost a beat when her angel suddenly turned his head to face her, capturing her gaze with his. Their eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity. Sakura couldn't break their intense stare, thus, left herself get lost in the boy's unfathomable black depths. In her daze, she realized that he was trying to tell her something; he was moving his lips forming the words, but her fuzzy mind wasn't able to process it. She tried to concentrate and avoid looking like a fool and when she managed that, she understood what it was that he was telling her: "I want to talk to you." She nodded her head in comprehension and gave him a small smile before turning to the front, her heart threatening to escape her thorax._

_The class was over before Sasuke knew it. He had to do it now. He couldn't control himself anymore. He wanted her so badly he couldn't describe it with words. There was something about her that made him forget about his coldness, his pretend nonchalance; something that made him want to grab her and pin her on the wall and kiss her senseless. This was his chance. He had made the first step, now he had to make the second. Denial was over for him. He couldn't stand it anymore!_

_The bell rang and his schoolmates stormed out of the classroom; school was over, everybody was going home. His blond friend, Naruto, waited for him but Sasuke sternly told him to go. The blond assumed that Sasuke was angry about something, so he decided not to get in the way of a pissed Uchiha. He certainly was smarter than that! The dark haired boy saw that Ino was waiting for Sakura next to the door but the rosette made a move with her head that clearly said 'go now!'. The blonde glanced at Sasuke and immediately understood, leaving her best friend with the Uchiha, but not without winking at her before she left._

_The classroom was now empty. The silence seemed to stretch uncomfortably as the two adolescents stood in front of their desks, not having moved at all since the bell rang. Sakura turned towards Sasuke who seemed to be at a loss of words. He didn't know how to start this. What should he say? 'This is awkward!' the little voice in his head came back to remind him what he already knew. 'I know! I am me after all! Can you shut up now? I have to say something here!' the boy replied angrily. The little voice huffed. 'Fine! Fine! Don't be so touchy about it!'_

_Sasuke decided; he would do this now or never. Summoning all the resolve his clan had bequeathed him with, he moved towards Sakura who was fidgety and nervous. He stood in front of her, so close that her head could have bumped into his chest if the girl hadn't taken a step back. With the step she took, her back collided with the wall. The girl was now scared. She was scared of his height; he towered over her like an elephant to a mouse, but most importantly she was scared of the expression on his face; he looked completely predatory and possessive._

_"Y-you wanted to t-talk to me?" she asked nervously._

_Sasuke didn't answer. He wasn't good with words anyway. For him, actions said a whole lot more than words and he was going to prove her that. He leaned in closer to her, loving the fact that his presence made her nervous and placed his hands on either side of her head, effectively trapping her between his body and the wall. He saw with contentment that a light blush had crept up on her silky alabaster cheeks making her look even more adorable if that was possible!_

_"Sakura..." he breathed on her lips, touching them slightly with his own. The girl shuddered and timidly stared at him in his obsidian eyes. Summoning all of her willpower not to panic she said "W-what are-" but was cut off curtly._

_Her lips were being attacked, dominated, devoured. She felt as if all oxygen had vanished from the room. Her eyes were wide open in surprise and she watched him kiss her with such passion that it made her even more surprised than she was before. However, in two seconds her lids fluttered closed as she got lost in the sensation of being kissed for the first time. And by whom? Her crush! The boy who made her heart leap in her chest, sometimes from attraction and sometimes from resentment, but who cares about that? The line between love and hate is very thin after all!_

_He had done it! He kissed her, still was! He pushed his body closer to hers as he deepened the kiss at the same time. His heartbeats were racing like rabbits hunted by a huntsman in the woods. Fireworks exploded behind his eyelids and his grip on the girl tightened even more. Their chests touched and he could feel Sakura's heart beating like crazy next to his. He deepened the kiss even more, taming the girl who had her hands clawed into the front of his shirt, clinging onto him like her life depended on this kiss. Feeling the need for air was necessary he drew back laying one last soft kiss on her swollen lips and looked straight into her jade eyes, which were hazy like his. She looked at him with adoration and desire but a minute later her expression changed radically._

_Her eyebrows furrowed in an angry expression and a small wrinkle between them accentuated the anger carved in her features. She unclasped her hands from his shirt and, all of a sudden, hit him with her fist on the chest. "Why did you do this?" she hissed incensed._

_The boy faltered "W-what are you talking about?"_

_"I think my question was very clear. Why-did-you-kiss-me?" she asked again loudly._

_Sasuke looked at her incredulously, like she was alien or something. "Are you crazy?" he asked irritated._

_"Oh, right. I'm crazy! Get out of my way, Sasuke! I don't want to see you again in my life!" she shouted pushing him away from her and heading infuriated for the door grabbing her bag in the process._

_Sasuke stood there dumbfounded. What was going on? Was he that a bad kisser or was it there more to it than that? "Have you lost your mind? I just kissed you, damn it!" he shouted enraged, too._

_The pinkette gazed at him, narrowing her brilliant eyes. "Right! You innocent, little boy. You just kissed me. Like I don't know what you're trying to pull off! Is this a plan to make me the laughing stone in this school? Did you think: 'Let's play with Sakura and make a fool out of her! Who cares about how she feels?' Well, I've got news for you boy! I refuse to become a toy in your hands! I've put up long enough with your insults! But that's it! I'm sick of your games!"_

_"What-"_

_"No! I don't want to hear any of your excuses! I'm done! Don't ever talk to me again! You understand?"_

_With these last words, she cast him one last angry look and stormed out of the classroom leaving behind her a Sasuke whose face had turned into a stone mask. His eyes had gained back their coldness as he walked slowly to his desk to grab his bag and left the building. His ego had received a heavy blow but his heart had received a bigger one. If he was so disgusting to her, he wouldn't burden her with his so annoying presence. He wouldn't talk to her again._

_And so, the days passed. Sasuke and Sakura never talked to each other again after the incident. When they came across each other in the school's corridors or in the classrooms, they behaved liked they had never known each other. Sakura clenched her jaw but her eyes remained calm and Sasuke always had the stone mask on. The senior year in high school was over. Sakura went to university in Suna, a big city next to Konoha, while Sasuke went to Konoha's university. They both had a few relationships during their three academic years but none of these relationships lasted for more than six months. After their studies, they started their advertising firms; Sakura a year later than Sasuke. And from that point, they became rivals._

* * *

Sasuke woke up early that morning. He was feeling annoyed about something he couldn't quite figure out. When the clock struck seven, he put on his clothes and set off to work. When he arrived at his firm, he found Sai already there. The always emotionless man announced him the daily schedule and had already brought Sasuke his coffee on his desk. He also reminded him of the awards that night. Sasuke grunted in comprehension and noted mentally to call Naruto to inform him that they would be going together to the awards that night. When his phone-call to his best friend was over he sighed irritated. He repeated in his head the reasons why Naruto was his friend. The blond man always found a way to make his life difficult and one of these ways was his complaints that if they go to the awards together people will think they're gay. However, after Sasuke's threat that he won't be giving him the free samples of ramen they will get from the advertisement for the Ichiraku company, Naruto shut up immediately and vigorously agreed to go. Sasuke smirked satisfied and concentrated on his work.

* * *

The day was not good. Sakura decided. The day was NOT good! First, she woke up with her back all sore AND she could barely move her neck. Talk about a bad sleep. And she was supposed to go to the awards that night. Second, there was so much traffic that morning while she was going to work, that she got stuck in it for at least three quarters of an hour. Third, she is sure she got some kind of lung cancer as she inhaled all the exhaust fumes from the cars surrounding her when stuck in the traffic jam. And four and final (finally), she tripped as she entered her firm and would totally hit the floor and break something if it weren't for Neji to catch her just in time. The dark haired man caught her in his muscular embrace securely and saved her from going to the hospital that day. Sakura flushed embarrassingly and muttered a shy 'thank you' avoiding to meet the man's piercing and scrutinizing gaze fixed on her. He kept holding her even if she was perfectly capable on standing on her own and only let her go when the woman pulled herself out of his tight embrace. The man muttered something like a 'you're welcome' and she merely spared him a glance before almost storming into the building to avoid any other interaction with him. 'Damn you, Neji, and your hot looks!' she thought, blush still staining her alabaster cheeks.

* * *

The day had passed by so quickly it was nearly unnatural. That's what Sasuke thought when he peered at the clock and saw that it was already six in the afternoon and he was supposed to be at the awards at least at nine thirty. He grunted in annoyance. He didn't want to go to that place. He hated being around a lot of people. Heck, he hated being around people in general. However, he had no other choice; he had to go. He was nominated for an award after all. He couldn't miss winning it and rubbing it in the face of Haruno. Annoying woman, he thought. But there she was again, occupying his thoughts, wandering in his mind like a gray cloud in the rainy sky. He tried to shake her image off his mind. He found it difficult accomplishing it. Immensely irked with himself, he abruptly stood up from his chair and stormed out of his office, not saying a word to anyone.

When he arrived at his house, he had a quick shower and started preparing for the awards. He changed in his black tuxedo and fixed his unruly spiky hair before setting off to Naruto's house. He saw his best friend waiting for him outside his house the moment he arrived with his car.

"TEME!" Naruto loudly greeted as usual.

"Hey."

"Look at you! All dressed up! Someone wants to impress the ladies I think!" the blond commented with a cunning smile, causing Sasuke to frown disapprovingly and glare at his best friend.

"Hn. Let's just go dobe." The Uchiha heir asked with his usual stoic voice.

"Yosh! Ikuzo!" Naruto exclaimed extravagantly and hopped in Sasuke's car.

Sasuke parked his car outside the building where the awards were about to take place; it was one of the most expensive hotels in the city and he could imagine that the room rented for the occasion would be spectacular. A red carpet was set in front of the entrance and the press was also there expecting to extract some comments from the nominees. The Uchiha heir grunted in annoyance. He hated these things. He sighed heavily before stepping out of his car, his blond friend following him.

"Ok. Let's get this over with." Sasuke said to Naruto, but mostly to himself.

"Relax, teme! I don't want you to look all dour in the papers tomorrow. I agreed to go with you, despite the danger of the journalists calling me 'gay' after this, but I don't want to be charged with a grouchy lover on top of that!" The blond exclaimed with fake indignation, waiting for his best friend to scowl and glare to the comment...Which he did.

"Shut up, dobe."

Naruto laughed and headed for the red carpet. The flashes started to blind them and they had only took a step on the crimson aisle. A reporter approached the both of them and posed his question "Ushiha-san, do you think you are going to win tonight?" Sasuke frowned. Oh, how hated these things! His answer consisted as usual of one word. "Yes". The reporter started at his curt reply but continued to smile. "And what do you have to say to Haruno-san, who is a nominee in the same category as you?" he asked. The dark-haired man's frown became deeper. "No comments." He said abruptly and crossed the carpet hastily, ignoring the photographers and reporters who were trying to get a comment out of him. Naruto followed right behind him, smiling at the photographers. When they finally got inside, a beautiful brunette showed them to the lobby where everyone was having drinks and appetizers, waiting for the event to begin.

"What was that for?" Naruto demanded as he grabbed Sasuke's right arm, causing said man to stop in his tracks and turn around to face the blond.

"What?" the Uchiha heir asked, his face expressionless.

"With the reporter. You don't have to be so rude." Naruto stated sternly.

Sasuke glared. Was the dobe giving him a lecture about tact? "You know I don't like these kind of things." He retorted and turned to make his way to the bar.

The blond sighed rolling his eyes and followed his best friend.

* * *

Sakura managed to get through the reporters and all the ruckus they were making quite easily, dragging a pissed off Ino behind her. Once they were inside the hotel where the awards were about to take place, they both turned simultaneously and looked at each other with frustration.

"That's what you get when you're beautiful AND famous!" Ino commented, a snobbish look imprinted on her pretty face.

"Don't be such a snob, Pig!" Sakura exclaimed indignantly. The blonde was about to counter her friend's comment when a pretty girl with brown hair and eyes guided them to the lobby.

Sakura scanned the room for familiar faces, but saw none. Turning to talk to her best friend, she realized Ino was long gone from her side and was already asking for a drink at the bar. Rolling her jade eyes, Sakura paced towards the blonde, the need for a drink urging her to do so.

"An apple martini, please." She ordered, Ino next to her already drinking vodka. Sakura's brows rose in surprise. "Vodka?" she asked.

"Yeah, I need something strong to be prepared for when Shikamaru arrives." Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes in annoyance once again. She took the glass with the martini from the counter and turned around so that her elbow was leaning against it. She felt kind of anxious about the award. She wanted to be the one who would win it, but she also knew that the Uchiha was an adversary not to be taken lightly for. She huffed and let her gaze wander around the room. Ino next to her was still babbling about Shikamaru, but the rosette was paying little attention to her.

A loud voice on her left drew her immediate attention. As she turned her head towards that direction, she saw that the source of the noise was a tall blond man with cerulean eyes, who had attacked the passing tray of amuse-bouches a waiter was carrying. The poor waiter nodded frightened when the blond man asked to bring another tray of the small appetizers. A few meters away, a man with dark spiky hair had his hand on his face like he was trying to hide from something. Uchiha Sasuke...

She almost choked on her martini when his gaze drifted towards her.

* * *

Had the dobe signed any contract which bound him to torture him for as long as he was to live? Well, it wasn't impossible, Sasuke thought as Naruto was stuffing his mouth with crab-cakes. The noise produced by his best friend caused a lot of curious stares towards their direction, but the one that magnetized him was the bright jade one...the one that belonged to...Haruno Sakura...

He managed to look at her for a second or two before someone came, squealing excitedly 'Sasuke-kun', to cling onto him like a leech. His gaze immediately rested on the red head that he hated so much. He tried to push her away but she was stuck on him like permanent glue. "Karin..." he grunted with annoyance, "get off me. Now."

"But, Sasuke-kun..." she pouted coyly.

"I said now." The Uchiha heir retorted sternly pushing her away, while sparing a glance at the pinkette who was watching the whole scene intently.

* * *

Sakura wanted to tear her gaze away from the spectacle which was currently taking place in front of her, but she soon found out that she couldn't bring herself to do it. Something like annoyance stirred in her gut which suddenly made her very willing to go and grab that red haired bitch from her hair..."It's not annoyance what you're feeling, genius. It's that feeling which makes you look green and it's called (sorry to mention it) JEALOUSY!" a little voice screamed in her head. Sakura had forgotten about that little voice and now she hated it. She wasn't jealous. She just didn't like this kind of scenes. They were truly ridiculous. "Yeah, right." the little voice spoke again.

"Whatever." Sakura snapped at no one particularly, but caused several stares towards her.

Ino suddenly appeared by her side, her pale blue eyes shining excitedly. "Shikamaru is here!" She squealed in absolute happiness. Sakura didn't retort. "What's wrong, Forehead?" The blonde asked her smile never leaving her shimmering lips.

"Nothing. Just...Nothing." Sakura replied, the anger melting away from her face and being replaced by her usual determined look.

"Great. How do I look?" Ino asked while posing like the well-trained model she was.

"Gorgeous as always, Pig. Now go get him!"

Ino smiled contentedly. "Alright!"

Sakura watched her friend's retreating back and looked around, not knowing what to do, a weight settling in her gut. Her eye caught Hinata blushing while talking to Naruto. Great everyone had someone except for her...

And just when that thought crossed her mind, she felt the warmth of a big palm settling on her back. Her eyes widened in surprise and when she turned around, she found Neji staring at her with a sexy smirk carved on his lips. Her lips had formed a perfect 'o' and her cheeks were getting redder and redder every second, until he let a small chuckle escape his lips. She shut her mouth immediately trying to suppress her beetroot-y blush.

"N-Neji!" She stammered like an idiot. 'IDIOT, SAKURA! IDIOT!' she shouted in her head.

"Sakura." He said with his deep masculine voice, which seamed to bring back the bright blush on her silky cheeks. He loved that about her. How responsive she was to just his voice or a simple, innocent touch. But still, he couldn't get her to accept to go on a date with him.

"W-We should proceed t-to our table" She stammered again, bowing her head a little to hide her flushed cheeks. How he could have this impact on her was beyond her. However, it wasn't an unpleasant feeling, she realized surprised. And with that thought, she hugged with her right arm his left one which he proffered to her and let him guide her to their table, a small contented smile gracing her lips.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was very annoyed. Very VERY annoyed. The dobe was nowhere to be found (although he had seen him talking to Haruno's secretary a few minutes ago) and Karin was still clinging on to his arm despite all his efforts to shake her away. He finally pulled his arm free from her manicured "claws", as they sat down in their seats, waiting for the event to begin.

Karin was still trying to get his attention, caressing his thigh with her hand, but he had eyes for no one else than the couple that just entered the room going to their table: Haruno with that guy who was a model at her firm. He had come to the Ichiraku appointment, too.

A feeling he couldn't really recognize crept inside him slowly but steadily, finally settling like a knot in his stomach. He averted his gaze from the couple, irritated, the moment the dark-haired model was pulling a chair out for Sakura to sit. He grunted. Why was the sight of them together so distressing? He couldn't figure it out. And why couldn't he take his eyes off the pink-haired woman every time he saw her? He couldn't figure that out either. And Uchiha Sasuke hated it when there were things he couldn't understand...

* * *

Sakura sat in her seat quietly, looking at something right ahead of her. She had seen Neji staring at her intently and all she was trying to do was avoid that piercing gaze. However, he didn't seem affected by her nonchalance. He continued to stare at her. 'The nerve of that guy! What's he trying to do? Make me look like 'embarrassed Hinata' again?' she thought with indignation. The moment she turned her head to face the dark-haired man next to her, the lights of the room were a bit damped down and people started to swarm inside to take their seats.

Hinata came after a minute or two and took her seat next to Sakura, looking all flustered with a small smile flickering on her lips and a light blush staining her cheeks. Ino and Shikamaru followed suit.

Sakura's gaze flickered towards the Uchiha's table. She recognized Uzumaki and Karin. There was also a man almost identical to Sasuke although he was much paler and much more expressionless than the Uchiha. And lastly, there was a woman with dark hair stylized in a low, conservative bun at the base of her neck and the same almond-shaped, onyx eyes as Sasuke's. She was looking at Karin with annoyance or despise, Sakura wasn't quite sure. The woman took Sasuke's hand in hers and whispered something in his ear, then set her eyes on her. The younger Uchiha's gaze drifted towards her for a second and then back to the woman, who kept on staring at her. And suddenly Sakura realized that that woman was none other than the Uchiha's mother.

She averted her gaze form her adversary's table immediately, feeling a little awkward. She felt like the older woman was studying her every move, but Sakura decided to not occupy her mind with that thought. Soon enough the stage which had been set up in the room for the event was lightened and a pretty brunette introduced herself as the coordinator of the whole event and the one who would be giving the awards to the nominees. After her, the mayor also said a few words.

The brunette gave the first award which was for the 'Salesman of the year'. A few awards were bestowed, when Sakura realized that the next one was for the 'Best Advertiser of the Year'. She straightened her back against the chair and looked anxiously at Sasuke's table. A comforting hand on her back made her gaze return to her table and more specifically to Neji. He smirked at her reassuringly nodding towards the stage. Sakura's racing heartbeats slowed down a little. She smiled back at him.

"And the nominees for the 'Best Advertiser of the Year are: Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura." the brunette announced. "And the award goes to..." she continued as she opened the envelope that was handed to her...

Sakura's heartbeats picked up again.

"Both advertisers are to be nominated with the award!" The woman announced, surprise evident in her voice.

Sakura's heart stopped for a moment. Her eyes widened in shock. She had to share HER award with the Uchiha? HER AWARD? She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't do anything but sit there and stare agape at the void.

Neji and Hinata nudged her trying to bring her back to reality. "Sakura...Please get up." Hinata's soft voice whispered, causing the pink-haired to wake up. Her jade eyes traveled to the Uchiha's table. He sure looked surprised but he was also greatly composed. She watched him get up from his seat and walk towards the stage. His motion alarmed her to move too. She stood up as well and paced somewhat clumsily towards the stage.

Sasuke who was already next to the woman with the brown hair watched her warily. She avoided his gaze as she reached the stage and stood by the other side of the brunette. The woman looked quizzically first at Sakura, then at Sasuke, apparently not knowing whom to give the award to. Finally, she handed it to Sakura, who seamed confused, too.

Sakura took the award while glancing at the Uchiha heir next to her. She bent down towards the microphone in front of her. "Thank you everyone. It is an honor. And also a big 'thank you' to my colleagues. They've been a great support." She said, a faint smile gracing her lips as she looked at her table.

Then, as awkwardly as she took the award, she handed it to the Uchiha. Their eyes locked for a mere second before she looked away and stepped aside for him to speak.

* * *

Sasuke was confused and that was bad, because Uchihas were never confused. The moment he heard that he would share the award with Haruno, something inside him stopped. And now he was next to her, accepting the award from her hands. A slight shudder went through his spine as her fingers brushed against his while taking the award. They stared into each other's eyes for a second before she made way for him to speak.

He took a step forward and faced his audience. "Thank you. Everyone." he said and stepped back, standing a few inches away from his rival. The brunette hostess signaled them to leave the stage pointing at an exit to the right of the stage, which would apparently lead them backstage.

Sakura took the first step. He followed suit. The exit led them to a room which was connected to the lobby of the hotel. They stopped there, the prize in Sasuke's hands. He had the mask of utter nonchalance on his face, however, only he knew how uncomfortable he felt. His hands had suddenly become moist with sweat as he stood across from her, so close but yet so far.

Neither of them uttered a word. He peered at her, trying to figure out if she was feeling as awkward as he felt, but her slightly bowed head didn't help him much. She was trying to avoid him. It was obvious. He wanted to know what he was supposed to do with the silver award in his hands, but didn't deign to ask. His Uchiha pride couldn't let him to.

And as the silence stretched uncomfortably between them in these few silent minutes, the realization hit him: he was actually considering another person's feelings. It felt truly odd, since he wasn't known as the considerate type of man. Just when he was thinking that he should give the award to her, his (damn) Uchiha pride kicked in which willed him to do the exactly opposite and more specifically to turn on his heels and leave the room, leaving the pinkette to stand at the spot alone.

* * *

The situation was REALLY awkward. But that was something Sakura expected. What she didn't expect was for him to leave like that, without saying a word to her or just offering the award to her. When she saw him vanish form her sight so abruptly, something inside her clicked. Ire started to built up inside her. A vain-THE vain popped on her forehead and that was never a good sign.

"That jerk!" She muttered to herself as anger took the best of her and motioned her feet to follow him, her small hands curled up in fists.

After two seconds she spotted him in the lobby. She paced towards him, her face all red.

"Uchiha!" She called angrily, ire boiling in her gut.

The dark-haired man turned around with one brow cocked disdainfully. This irritated Sakura even more. She finally stood before him, with one hand on her hip, her gaze boring holes through his skull. It was a miracle he wasn't begging her to stop staring at him like that.

She was too close for her comfort zone, but that didn't matter that moment. What mattered was her award and her damn pride and she was going to take both of them back.

"That award is mine." She said, her voice deceptively calm and smooth now.

The Uchiha kept staring at her face with that disdainful expression, seemingly unaffected by her statement. "Is that so?" He asked ironically.

"Yes." She answered decisively, her gaze firmly fixated on his.

"This award should be mine." He stated coldly.

Sakura's glare intensified tenfold, if that could be possible. This man had the impossible ability to push her nerves to the verge of insanity!

"Sasuke..." Her eyes now glued to the floor.

He tensed at her calling him by his first name. She saw his shoulders grow rigid and his eyes widen a fraction as she hesitantly peeked through thick eyelashes. She was angry, that much she knew. But there was also another feeling churning in her gut that she couldn't quite place. She was confused.

Her gaze finally left the floor and met his in a passionate battle. She could feel her cheeks grow warm under his intense stare. And then, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

He took a step towards her. And another one. And another one. Instinctively, she took a few steps backwards as he moved towards her. It was like a dance the way they moved until he had her backed up against the wall.

Everything had gone silent. It was like someone had pushed the 'mute' button. Sakura felt her heart pounding inside her chest. He was now hovering over her, staring at her with those dark orbs which seemed to evoke so many feelings when she was a teenager. When his nose brushed hers and his breath tickled her parted lips she found out that those feelings had never left. And then...

* * *

He kissed her.

He couldn't resist her any more. It was beyond his power; to have her there, in front of him, so beautiful, and not kiss her. Not touching her, not tasting her sweet lips was something he couldn't bear.

So, he did it. He crushed his lips on hers, almost forcefully, afraid that she might try to leave just like she did back then. And he couldn't let her do it. Not for a second time. His barely existent heart wouldn't stand it.

A minute passed and she still hadn't tried to get away. Sasuke relaxed and brought his hands to her hips, pressing her body even further against his. Her hands instantly wound around his neck one of them hiding in the plushness of his dark hair, her nails lightly scraping his scalp.

It was like time had stopped. There was no one else but her. Her petite frame pressed firmly on him. Her soft curves under his demanding fingers.

Sasuke wished time would stop right there, at that moment.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

What the-?

FLASH!

He abruptly ceased their kiss, their faces petrified.

"Shit!" Sasuke cursed out loud.

Sakura's eyes were wide with fear and surprise. It seemed like their faces were going to be all over the press tomorrow...

* * *

So, this is it! The part where Naruto stuffs his mouth with crab-cakes was inspired by a scene from the "Wedding Crashers". Funny movie! X) Oookay! So, let me know what you think! xoxo


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